Soledar

Soledar ( uk, Соледа́р, ; ), formerly known as Karlo-Libknekhtovsk ( uk, Карло-Лібкнехтівськ, Karlo-Libknekhtivs'k, 1965–1991), is a city in the Bakhmut Raion, which is located in what is internationally recognised as the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. The city lies from Bakhmut, and its population was 10,490 in January 2022. Since 11 January 2023, the city has reportedly been controlled by Russia, which considers the city to be part of its Donetsk People's Republic.

History

During the second half of the 17th century, the Don Cossacks settled in the region of Donbas. They built a village at the site of Soledar and named it Brіantsіvka (). In 1924, it was renamed to Karlo-Libknekhtovsk, and in 1965, after merging with nearby villages, received the status of a town. On 5 July 1991, the town changed its name to Soledar, which literally means "a gift of salt" in the Ukrainian and Russian languages, reflecting the long history of salt production in the area.Soledar
Offiicial Site of the Soledar City Council (in Ukrainian)

In mid-April 2014, Russian GRU operatives, led by Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, captured several towns in the Donetsk Oblast including Soledar. On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the city from the militants. On 2 August 2014, the identification team and OSCE observers dealing with the MH17 crash set up base in Soledar, because from there it was easier to get to the crash site.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, on 28 May 2022, it was reported that a Russian missile had hit the Artemsil salt plant in the town. The Battle of Soledar began in early August, with Russian forces capturing much of the eastern half of Soledar by September, although being stalled afterward. On January 11 2023, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the Russian Wagner Group, announced that the Ukrainian defenders of Soledar had been encircled and destroyed and posted a picture of himself and other Wagner officers in the Soledar Salt Mine. In response the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense disputed this claim by stating that the Russian assault on the settlement was successfully repelled. Satellite imaging of the settlement and battlefield supports Ukraine's claim the assault was repelled.

Economy

Due to the ongoing Battle of Soledar, the economy of Soledar has been mostly destroyed, along with the settlement itself. There is not believed to be any functioning economy in the city, as of January 2023. The main enterprises of the city, pre-war, were related to mining and processing industries. The State Enterprise Association Artyomsol is mined and processed rock salt in Soledar Salt Mine and Knauf Gips Donbas produced gypsum wallboard. The Soledar Salt Mine is the largest salt mine in Europe.

Transport

The railway station Dekonska () is located 2 km from the city.Карло-Либкнехтовск
Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Demographics

The town's population was 14,600 in 1971,
12,200 in 1991, 13,182 in 2001, 11,400 in 2015, and 10,490 in 2022.

Native language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001: Ukrainian 60.10%, Russian 39.43%, Armenian 0.11%, Belarusian 0.09%, Romani 0.05%, Bulgarian 0.02%, Moldovan 0.02%, and one person each for Greek, Karaim, Polish and Romanian (0.01%).

Gallery

File:Railway station Sil Ukraine.JPG, Railway station
File:The lift going down to the mine.JPG, Salt mine entrance
File:The entry way to the mine.jpg, Inside the mine
File:The "Concert Hall" at the end of the mine.jpg, Underground football field and concert hall in Soledar mine

References

External links

{{2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine

Cities in Donetsk Oblast
Bakhmut Raion
Destroyed cities